When I needed a hand, you gave me a paw
by rexnikiforov
Summary: "It is said that a dog is the only thing that can mend a broken heart." When Yuuri's long-term boyfriend suddenly leaves him, he finds himself at a loss of what he should do next. When he decides to bring a pet into his life, things begin to change in ways he could never have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone!**

 **So here I am, trying my hand at some Yuri on Ice fanfic. I've been playing around with this idea for a little while now so I hope you all really enjoy it.**

 **Any and all comments, complaints, suggestions and love are very welcome but I'm pretty new to anime/manga/BL so please be kind!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **Rex**

* * *

Chapter 01

Michael and I had been together since we were 15. We met when he transferred to my Boarding School when we were 14 and it was clear to both of us what simmered under our skins. We kept our relationship quiet until we started at the same university and made the decision to live together on campus.

Michael was fun and outgoing, more than making up for my social awkwardness whenever we were invited to parties. Unlike myself, he quickly found his clique in his classes and he was soon leaving me behind to spend time with his new friends. I never begrudged him for it but there were times that our relationship felt like one of convenience rather than love. There were times when he would come home in the middle of the night not knowing his own name, times when he wouldn't come home at all and times when he would expect affection and at the end cry out a name that wasn't my own.

Looking back on it, I'm not entirely sure why we stayed together. I tried many times to end it but Michael would always promise to do better, to prove just how much he loved me. He would cry and shout and always ended with _I can't live without you_. I fell for it every time.

It had been three months since Michael walked out. It was just short of our 10 year anniversary. His reasons behind his decision were as dismissive and flaky as his excuses always were. "It's not you, it's me." "We're different people now." "You'll do better without me." "We need space to grow." I hated him more for his practised lines than I did for leaving me.

"Have you heard from him?" Phichit asked as he filled two glasses of wine.

Phichit was my best friend from university and he was really one of the only people to know Michael almost as long as I had. They never liked each other but they always put their differences aside for my sake. Neither one could understand my relationship with the other and I spent a lot of my time defending them both. When I called Phichit after Michael walked out, I felt ashamed but Phichit held me, let me cry and never once said _I told you so_. If it had been the other way around, if Phichit had hurt me, Michael would have rubbed it in and told me I was stupid for not believing all the things he said. It was times like these that you understood who your friends are.

"No," I said as I opened the box of pizza that had just been delivered. "And I don't want to."

"Good for you," Phichit slapped me on the back. "He'll just find a way to persuade you to give him another chance and I've said it before and I'll say it again, you deserve better."

I smiled. "You're right, I do." Phichit had sat me down many times over the years, usually when Michael was cheating, and tried to help me see sense when it came to my no good boyfriend. He had never been very successful. "I'm done with him. I won't ever listen to his excuses again and I certainly won't take him back. Not this time."

"I'll drink to that!" Phichit lifted his glass and toasted to it with a giggle. "When is the rest of your stuff coming?"

We both looked around my sparse little flat I'd move into a few weeks ago. It was very different to the home I had built with Michael and I was devastated about leaving. "Tomorrow."

"This is just temporary," Phichit reminded me. "Just make sure you unpack everything as soon as you get it. And make sure you put up all those photos I brought with me and all that stuff from IKEA. It will feel more like home when you do."

I wrapped my arm around Phichit's shoulders and pressed a kiss to his temple. "You're a good friend, Phichit."

"I'm the best," he corrected me with a grin.

"I think I'm going to start job hunting," I said all of a sudden as I handed him a slice of pizza and picked one up for myself. "If I stay at the art shop I'll see Michael all the time when he's on his lunch break."

"What are you thinking of?" Phichit asked.

"I saw a job at the Portrait Gallery and I thought I'd apply for it," I explained. "It's a role for a new Assistant Curator."

"At least you'll finally be able to put that Art History Degree to good use," Phichit laughed.

"And I'll earn enough to put away some savings," I said. "Maybe next year I can find somewhere nicer to live."

The conversation soon turned to mindless topics, the kind that Phichit was very good at when I needed to be distracted. He made me laugh and for a few hours I forgot about Michael and the tiny flat I could never call my home.

As much as I was enjoying my time with my best friend, he eventually had to leave.

"Are you ok here on your own?" He asked as he slipped his coat on and collected his bag.

"It's strange," I admitted. "Not because of the flat but because... well... this is the first time I've lived alone... lived without... him."

"You'll get used to it," Phichit hugged me. "Hey, maybe you should get a dog."

I laughed. "I can only just fit my stuff in here, I wouldn't be able to fit a dog too."

"Just get a little one," Phichit waved his hand in the air. "One of those little scrappy things that you can fit in your bag."

I laughed again. "I'll look into it."

"Come out with us this weekend, ok?" Phichit said as he opened the door. He was referring to his roommates Guang-Hong and Leo. Saturday nights were usually spent at the cheap restaurant where Phichit worked a part time job in the kitchen and then onto a bar where Leo had a regular spot on the open mic.

"Maybe," I said with a shrug. "Text me when you're home."

"Call me if you need anything," Phichit hugged me one last time and left.

I was once again alone in my tiny flat. The silence was a little too much, I still wasn't used to it yet. I noticed that Phichit had left his Bluetooth speaker on the table for me and I smiled fondly. He was always taking such good care of me. I linked my phone up to it and put on some jazz, something Michael never allowed me to do. He hated my music. I poured the last of the wine into my glass and flopped down onto my sofa once again. I opened up my phone and began to scroll through my social media feeds but I stayed away from Instagram – I had no desire to see how everyone else's perfect lives were going. Facebook entertained me with videos of people doing stupid things until I caught sight of a dog rescue video.

Fluffy, as they had decided to call him, was a large dog. I suppose he resembled a husky. He had been found wandering the streets, living mostly under trucks in a parking lot and begging for scraps from the people that lived nearby. Eventually, someone had reported him to the local authorities and an animal charity had promptly come along to take him to a shelter. He had been friendly, quick to trust and was more than happy to be loaded into a car and taken away. It saddened me to think that at some point in his life, he had been treated well enough to have gotten used to scratches behind the ears and rides in a car. What had happened to him?

As it turned out, Fluffy was not a husky but merely a mutt. To my untrained eyes, he looked more like a wolf than a dog. He was well fed but in desperate need for a bath and a haircut. I could have sworn the young dog practically pranced around the room showing off his new look. He was adorable.

The final slide showed Fluffy chasing after a ball with two other dogs. The clip, with its happy music, was accompanied with the words "Fluffy has found his forever home."

Good for him.

-x-

My flat was still too quiet so when Saturday arrived, I took Phichit up on his offer to join him and the others for dinner. It had been a while since I'd seen Guang-Hong and Leo and while I initially worried that it would be awkward following my recent break up, it turned out to be exactly what I needed. They were both just as supportive as Phichit, even offering to help me with my job application for the art gallery and suggesting other evenings that I could spend with them. Just like Phichit, they wanted to keep me busy, distracted enough so that I wasn't wallowing in my own self pity. I had no idea how I would ever be able to repay their kindness.

"Phichit said you were going to get a dog," Leo said as another round of cocktails were put down in front of us.

I narrowed my eyes in Phichit's direction. "I said I would think about it."

"And have you?" Phichit asked.

"I think you should," Guang-Hong added. "Why not? Dogs are far better company than people anyway." We laughed. "Dogs won't cancel on you at the last minute!"

"Dogs won't promise to call when they never intend to," Leo winked.

"Dogs will listen to you when you've had a bad day," Phichit grinned.

"Dogs won't break your heart," I cringed at the sadness I heard in my own voice. I could feel my friends eyes on me, I didn't want them to feel sorry for me. I cleared my throat and continued before they could say anything. "Dogs are great but I'm just not sure now is the right time."

"If not now, then when?" Leo asked.

"If you're waiting for the right time, it will never happen," Guang-Hong pointed out. "There will always be something in the way that will stop you."

"You were talking about that dog from Facebook the other day. A lot!" Phichit laughed. "Maybe we can find you another stray. What was the place called again?"

I couldn't remember the name of the charity or the shelter but it wasn't difficult to find the video again. "Hey, it says he's up for adoption," Guang-Hong said excitedly.

"It must be an old video," I said. "In the video I saw it said he'd been adopted.

Leo got out his phone and after a few minutes he passed it over to me. "Looks like he was returned to the shelter."

I stared at the phone and at the photo of the adorable dog beaming up at the camera, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and his bright blue eyes sparking in the sunlight. He really was beautiful. His grey fur looked so soft and for a moment I saw myself coming home from a long day and running my fingers through his thick coat as he came to greet me at the door.

"That looks like love," Phichit teased.

"The video I saw must have been old," I said as I scrolled through the website. "He's been returned three times in two months..."

"It also says that if they don't find a foster home or another shelter, they'll have to put him down..." Guang-Hong said from behind his own phone.

"What?!" I snatched the phone from his hand. "Where does it say that?"

"In the staff comments on the side," he said, leaning over the table and pointing to it on his phone.

"I..." I looked up at my friends. "I can't let them put him down."

Phichit grinned. "Yuuri's getting a dog," he said in a sing-song voice.

I looked back down at the two phones and stared at the dog again. There was something about him, something that drew me to him. There was a feeling in my gut that told me I couldn't allow the shelter to put him down. I also wouldn't have been able to live myself if I had sat by and done nothing to help.

"Maybe I'll foster him," I said, my grin matching the others. "If we get on well, maybe I'll adopt him."

It would just be temporary until we found his forever home. Just temporary.

As I stood outside the shelter with Phichit at 10am the next morning, something told me this wasn't going to be temporary at all. And I didn't really mind.

* * *

 **So there it is, the first chapter!**

 **This fic will be filled with humour, drama, romance, smut, angst... basically a little bit of everything. So I hope you've enjoyed it and that you'll check back in for more soon.**

 **I'd love to hear your thoughts so do feel free to leave a review/comment or send me a PM – I love making new friends!**

 **Thanks for reading xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

 **Wow.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter, to everyone who left comments and to everyone who added the story and me to alerts. You're amazing and you sure know how to make a gal feel welcome.**

 **Here's the next chapter. It's up sooner than I thought it would be which is great news – woohoo! I'm having so much fun writing this and I totally want my own Fluffy! I'm getting all kinds of pet jealousy over here.**

 **I hope you all continue to enjoy this fic. I'd love to know your thoughts on this and what you've read so far, like I said I'm new to this fandom and to BL so all feedback is welcome.**

 **Anyway, happy reading!**

 **Rex**

* * *

Chapter 02

As it turned out, the vet's best guess was that Fluffy was part Russian Hunting dog and part wild dog. The shelter assured me, despite the colouring of his fur, that there was no more wolf in him than any other domestic mutt but due to his hunting instinct, he might not play very well with small animals or children. I wasn't concerned until they recommended I keep Fluffy properly exercised to prevent him from chewing up my furniture.

As Phichit and I walked into the kennels, I had a moment of doubt about taking on such a large dog at this point in my life. I listed all the reasons in my mind but when the kind volunteer at the shelter stopped in front of a cage, I peered inside and saw those beautiful blue eyes looking up at me.

"Hello, Fluffy," I knelt down in front of him when his door was opened. Fluffy stretched his neck and sniffed the air before he lowered his head and took a step toward me. His tail wagged as he cautiously approached me. "Hi boy." Fluffy licked my chin and at the sound of my laughter, the dog's body began to shake with the velocity of his wagging tail.

I never believed in love at first sight until that moment.

Walking out of the shelter with Fluffy by my side was possibly the happiest moment of my life, though I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to do with him now.

"He needs supplies," Phichit said as he riffled through the bag the shelter gave us. "There's some stuff in here but you really need dog food and a bed as a priority."

I looked over at Fluffy who was sprawled belly up on my sofa, his soft snores filled the room. "He looks comfy enough without a bed," I laughed.

Phichit sat down on the sofa next to Fluffy. Fluffy jumped up and nudged Phichit's hand until he gave in and scratched the dog behind his ear.

"Well, it's been a pleasure but I'll leave you and the wolf to it then," Phichit said as he patted Fluffy on the head and stood up.

"You can't just leave," I protested as I watched Phichit collect his things and head for the door.

"I'm a busy boy!" Phichit grinned. "Besides, you two should get to know each other. Take him for a walk, play some games with him."

"I don't think he'll be so great at board games," I looked over at the dog who was watching us with a curious expression.

"It's weird," Phichit said, his eyes also on the dog. "The way he does that and then tilts his head... it's like he's following along with our conversation."

I smirked. "Are you still drunk?"

Phichit gave my shoulder a playful shove as he laughed and to our surprise, the dog growled. It was very low, so low we wondered at first if it was our stomachs. "Did he just growl at me?"

"He's protective already. I quite like that," I smiled at the dog and his tail began to wag immediately, as if he knew I was touched.

"Well make sure he knows I'm the best friend and that I'm always welcome here," Phichit shook his finger at my face and laughed.

I looked over at my dog. "Did you hear that Fluffy? Phichit is always welcome here." To our amazement, the dog barked as if in agreement.

After Phichit left I turned to look at the dog who had made himself quite at home once again on the sofa. "So..." I didn't really know what to do. Phichit and I had already unpacked the bits and pieces in the suitcase but there still a few things that he needed. I wanted a better collar for him, the black one he was wearing seemed a little too tight, and he needed a bed. "Shall we go shopping?"

The dog ears pricked up and he barked.

"I'll take that as a yes," I laughed and collected my coat and his lead.

I'd never had a reason to enter the pet store near my flat so I was completely taken aback by how big it was inside. "I don't even know where to start..." I said quietly to myself. "Where shall we go first Fluffy?" I wasn't really asking him but Fluffy let out a little whine and I looked down at him. He titled his head toward the beds. "You... you want to go look at the beds first? Sure." I let him lead the way.

"Do you need any help?" A woman who worked at the pet store seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"No thank you," I smiled at her and watched her walk away before I pulled a few of the larger dog beds off the stands to take a closer look at them. "See any you like?"

Fluffy sat down on his haunches and took a good look at each of the beds. _What a strange dog. Could this have been the reason he was returned?_ The more I got to know this dog, the more I found him endearing.

After a moment, Fluffy padded over to one of the beds and sniffed it. He nibbled the side a little and then stepped on it.

"Any good?" I asked.

Fluffy sniffed the bed a few more times, pawed at the plush cushions in the middle of the bed, turned around three times and then laid down.

"So we like this one?" Fluffy lifted up his head and nodded. "Alright, this one..." I paused just as I was about to start to putting the other beds away and turned back to look at Fluffy. "Did you..?" I paused again. I wasn't even going to ask the question out loud. I knew that he hadn't nodded at me. It was more likely that he had just reacted to the tone of my voice.

"Let's go find you a new collar, then we'll pick up some dog food and head home," I said to the dog who stood up and followed at my feet obediently. From what I'd seen so far, I really couldn't see why anyone would need to return him.

"I like blue," I picked a blue collar from the stand but was met with a growl from Fluffy. "You don't like blue?" I asked. "Aren't dogs colour blind?" Fluffy merely titled his head at me and raised an eyebrow. "What about green?" Another growl. "Red?" He let out a little huff and barked, his tail wagged behind him.

"What kinds of food do you like Fluffy?" I asked as we neared the food aisle. "The vet said you're a fussy eater but that you should be fine with the brand they use..." I stopped abruptly when I ran out of lead. I turned to look at the dog who was sitting at the top of the aisle, refusing to follow. "Come on now Fluffy," I made my way back to him. "You've been walking fine up until now, what's wrong?"

Fluffy whined and shook his head.

"Don't you want food?" I asked him. The dog's eyes narrowed as he looked up at me. "Don't look at me like that," I said to him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a man around my age walking toward us. _He was cute_. "The way you are with your dog is so sweet," he smiled at us both. _He was really cute._ "And you're such a handsome boy aren't you? Do you mind if stroke him?"

"Sure," I smiled.

Fluffy puffed up under the stream of compliments the man gave him as he scratched behind his ears. "I love dogs," the guy said. "I have a poodle. I thought she was fluffy but this beauty takes the prize."

Fluffy looked over at me from the corner of his eyes and seemed to smirk as the man kissed the tip of his nose. _What I wouldn't give for that kind of attention_. I rolled my eyes at myself for being jealous of my dog.

"I er... I just got him today..." I gave an awkward shrug. "We're just picking up some stuff."

Fluffy licked the guys face and then padded over to where I stood. He leaned against my leg and I stumbled slightly from the weight of it.

"You're cute," the man said as he stood up, his eyes travelled from Fluffy and up my body. "Even cuter than your dog." He smiled at me.

 _Oh!_

I blushed and was at complete loss of what to say. I felt Fluffy's cold wet nose against my fingers as he nudged them. "Erm... thanks..." The man looked as though he were about to say something else but before he could, I tightened my grip on Fluffy's lead and pulled him along the aisle. "Good to meet you. Bye!"

I could feel Fluffy's icy stare on my back as I searched for the same food brand the vet used. "Stop it, Fluffy."

The dog huffed and let out an audible yawn.

"I don't need that kind of thing right now," I said quietly to him. I finally found the right food and pulled a bag off the shelf. When I turned around, I could still see Fluffy staring at me. "I said stop it. I've just come out of a bad relationship, I don't need to be rushing into another one."

It could have been my imagination but at that, I could have sworn that Fluffy's eyes softened. I put the bag of food down and knelt down in front of him where he immediately pressed his head against my chest. I dropped a kiss onto his muzzle. "You're a strange dog, do you know that?"

Fluffy took a step back and sat down on his haunches. He barked and his tongue fell out of his mouth as he gave me a toothy grin.

"Come on," I stood up. "Let's go home."

Fluffy bounced along beside me, sniffing at the toys in the aisles as we headed back to collect the bed he'd picked. While we were waiting in line at the checkout, Fluffy barked at the boxes of treats lined up against the wall.

"You can pick one. Only one," I said as I let him pull me toward the treats. He immediately picked up a chunk of dried pigs skin and handed it to me. "Gross..." I whispered. I put it with the rest of the purchases and paid for everything with my credit card.

Once we arrived home, I put Fluffy's bed by the TV in the living room and filled his bowl with food. Fluffy, on the other hand, had pulled the pig skin from the bag and marched straight over to the sofa where he got himself comfy. _So much for the bed_.

"Want to try on your new collar?" I sat down next to him and pulled off his old collar. He stood up and shook out his fur. "Settle down," I laughed at him. "I think that looks much better," I said to him once I put the new red collar on. "Red suits you." Fluffy barked and I laughed again.

The rest of our day was spent at home, apart from a few lazy walks through the park, and I quickly discovered that Fluffy liked to snuggle. As soon as I sat down on the sofa, Fluffy would get up from wherever he was and move over to me. At times he would even crawl onto my lap as though he'd forgotten just how big he was.

There was a lot of laughter that night. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed that much. Our first day together was perfect and already I couldn't imagine a day without him. Even with his oddities, he was the perfect dog for me.

And even though I'd only known had him a few hours, my heart was already so full of love for him.

* * *

 **Cuteness! I hope you reading enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Thank you all again so much for the support. I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter so do drop me a comment or PM.**


	3. Chapter 3

**An update! You asked and I provided.**

 **Once again, thank you all so much for reading, commenting and adding me to alerts. I honestly can't thank you all enough and I'm so touched by everyone's responses.**

 **So here is the new chapter. I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations - I had so much fun writing this! It's a bit of a longer chapter than the others but there wasn't a natural break in the chapter so I figured, what the hell! Let's do it.**

 **Anyway, I'd love to know what you think of this chapter. And those of you who have left comments - you're about to find out if you're right haha.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **Rex**

* * *

Chapter 03

Fluffy and I had quickly found our routine. In just two months I already knew his habits and he had quickly discovered what he was and was not allowed to do. Our mornings started early, with Fluffy waking me up at 6.15am on the dot every morning except Sunday.

Waking up at 6.15am meant I had time to shower while the coffee brewed, time to walk Fluffy around the park with my first cup of coffee in a travel mug and then time to fix both our breakfasts before I headed for work at the Gallery with my refilled travel mug. My new job at the Gallery worked in with our routine perfectly. I had time during my lunch break to walk Fluffy and sit with him while we both ate our lunch before I went back to work.

At the end of each day, Fluffy was always waiting for me at the front door, lead in his mouth and an excited bounce to his step. This was the long walk, the one where I usually allowed him to take control of where we went. His first point of call was always the park bench where we'd watch people with their dogs for a while. Once he got bored, we usually moved over to the lake where I let him off his lead to chase the ducks. Depending on what food stalls were open that day, Fluffy would eventually make his way over to beg for scraps from the Russian vendor. The elderly vendor was kind and always came out to make a fuss of Fluffy while we joked about the dog's excellent taste in takeaway food.

By the time we'd get home, my nose would be red from the cold and my stomach rumbling from hunger. As I cooked dinner, Fluffy would curl up by my feet and watch me, tilting his head this way and that as I talked to him. With dinner over, we'd both flop down on my sofa where I would read out loud from my latest book.

On one particular evening, Fluffy and I were just about to get comfy on the sofa when my front door suddenly opened. It was Phichit. I turned to look at Fluffy who huffed, jumped down off the sofa and plodded over to his bed. He looked fed up.

"What's wrong?" I asked Phichit.

"You need to start checking your messages more," he said with a frustrated sigh. "We're at the bar on the corner and there's a cute guy I think you might like. Come on, let's go!"

"But I…" he didn't let me finish, instead he pulled me up from the sofa and pushed me toward the bedroom.

"If you're not down in 20 minutes then I'll come back and drag you there in whatever state you're in, ok?" He winked at me. "See you soon!"

I was never able to say no to Phichit.

I let out a sigh and began to dig out some appropriate clothes. As I started to get changed, the door to my room opened slightly and a shiny black nose appeared. I knelt down on the floor as Fluffy walked slowly toward me, his ears turned down and his tail between his legs. He whimpered as he nudged my hand with his nose and I scratched under his chin. "I'm sorry boy," I said when he lifted his bright blue eyes to look at me. "Phichit will keep his promise," I explained with a smile. "He'll come back here and drag me down there butt naked if he had to."

Sometimes when Fluffy was feeling even more affectionate, he would nibble gently on my skin and follow it with a lick. They were like little love bites and they always made me smile. In that moment, as he nibbled and licked my skin, he continued to whimper and my heart felt tight as I realised he didn't want me to go. "I won't be long," I promised him. "I'll bring a treat back with me. How does that sound?" I moved to stand up but Fluffy caught the sleeve of my shirt and tugged. "Stop it," I leaned down and looked into his eyes. "No."

For the first time ever, Fluffy growled at me. I flinched, my eyes wide in surprise as I stared at my dog and he flashed his teeth at me. I stood up and pointed to the door to my bedroom. "Get out, go to your bed!" Fluffy whimpered, he knew he'd done something wrong. "Bad dog!" I spat the words out and Fluffy's entire body seemed to deflate under the scorn of my words but he lowered his head and crept out of the room.

Before I made my way out of the flat, I checked on Fluffy, who was laid in his bed as I'd instructed. He lifted his head as I walked toward the door, a tiny morose cry in protest. I wanted to go to him but he needed to learn that he'd been bad. I sighed, picked up my keys and left.

They guy Phichit wanted me to meet had been nice. Alex was funny, considerate, good looking. There was nothing I could fault with him and yet... there was something missing. He'd walked me back to my flat and it had been nice but as we grew nearer to my building, I began to feel nervous. _Did he expect an invitation inside?_ Before I could get too worried, Alex leaned in close and kissed my cheek.

"I had fun tonight," he said with a smile. "Maybe we could go out again, just the two of us?"

"Er..." I wasn't sure if I was ready for it but I nodded. "Sure."

We exchanged numbers and I watched Alex walk back the way we'd come from the door to my building. I was surprised but happy that he hadn't asked to spend the night. My only experience had been with Michael and if this had been my ex, he would have insisted on coming up to my room. Had I resisted, he would have somehow made me feel guilty for it. However, Alex was different, seemed different. I smiled and looked down at my phone where Alex's name sat among my other contacts. _Maybe this could be something. Maybe the thing I thought was missing could be found?_

I pocketed my phone and made my way up to my flat. I was still smiling when I walked into the flat and it was only then that I remembered that I'd been angry with Fluffy before I left. I put my keys on the hanger and made my way toward Fluffy's bed. He wasn't there.

"Fluffy?"

"You're home!"

I spun around at the sound of a voice in my kitchen. _There was a man in my kitchen!_

I lunged for the nearest thing that I could use as weapon. "Who are you and what have you done with my dog?!" I tightened my grip on the frying pan, fully prepared to defend myself should he launch an attack.

"I'm so glad you're home..." The man jumped up from where he had been sitting at the small table, suddenly full of life. "I'm sorry I got angry I just..."

I froze, unable to listen to him because he was naked. _So very naked_. "You're...who are you?" The man took a step toward me, his blue eyes shone so bright from under his long grey hair. He gave a joyful laugh and scratched the back of his head.

"It's me," he nervously pulled at the red leather collar around his neck and I couldn't stop my eyes as they followed his hand down across his well sculpted chest, over his slim hips and down to his...

I gasped and snapped my eyes back up to his. "Why are you wearing my dog's collar? Where is he? What have you done with him?!"

"Yuuri..." the man's voice was soft and for the first time I realised that he had an accent.

I lifted the frying pan higher when he took a closer step. "If you've hurt him..."

"It's me..." the man said again. "I'm here."

 _It didn't make any sense!_ "Who... wh..?"

"I'm Fluffy!" He exclaimed. "And I've wanted to do this since you brought me home..." he strode toward me, his arms outstretched and I did the only thing I could think of.

 _*Clang*_

I hit him with the frying pan.

-x-

To say I was shaking like a leaf was an understatement. My entire body was on edge. I could feel sweat trickling down the back of my neck. He said he was Fluffy... _what did that mean?!_ He couldn't actually be Fluffy... Fluffy was my dog. My dog that I loved and cared for. This man was an intruder. He had to be playing with me.

"Ouch..." the man, who was on the floor, looked up at me with a wry smile. "This wasn't how I thought this would go."

"How what would go?" I asked, the frying pan still in hand should he try to lunge at me again.

"I'm sorry..." he sat back on his heels and rubbed at his head where I'd hit him. "I didn't mean to do this now... I wanted to wait longer. I've never..." he looked down and shook his head. "I thought you'd be excited."

"Excited?!" I wanted to hit him with the pan again. I almost did. "I come home to find a man in my kitchen and my dog..." _My dog!_ "I just..." my mind spun and I could feel my anxiety start to overwhelm my thoughts. "I think I need to sit down..."

The man jumped to his feet and managed to dodge the pan as I robotically swung it in his direction. He pulled a chair from the kitchen and put it down in front of me. I sat down slowly, hesitantly and narrowed my eyes at him. The man knelt down again and waited.

I didn't know to what make of him. This man who had turned up out of nowhere and claimed to be my dog. I dropped the pan and let my head fall into my hands. I closed my eyes and forced myself to take a few deep breaths. _Could this really be happening?_

All of a sudden I felt a something wet touch my forehead and I jumped up out of my chair. Fluffy was sitting in front me, his head titled to the side.

"Fluffy?" I took a step toward him and knelt down so I could press my forehead against his muzzle.

The dog whimpered and rubbed his nose against me. I lifted my hands to his neck and buried my fingers into his fur. "I'm sorry Fluffy..." I don't know why I apologised.

I felt him shift against me, felt his fur be replaced by smooth warm skin under my finger tips, felt his muzzle shorten and his long grey hair brush against my forehead.

"I'm sorry I scared you," the man whispered. "I just wanted to hug you... to thank you for bringing me here."

I pulled back and removed my hands from his shoulders. I looked into his eyes, familiar blues that I'd been looking at for the last two months.

"Fluffy?" I could no longer deny it. It was him.

The man smiled at me and the sight caught my breath. With my mind finally still, I couldn't help but admire the face in front of me.

"I really hate that name," the man said suddenly and I couldn't help it, I laughed. I laughed so hard that I doubled over and clutched at my stomach. Thankfully, the man laughed too.

"I'm sorry," I wiped at my eyes and tried to pull myself together. "Fluffy wouldn't have been my first choice either."

"The kind nurse who cleaned me up at the shelter gave me that name and it sort of stuck," he shrugged.

"Then... what should I call you?" I asked. _I still couldn't quite believe what was happening._

"My name is Vitya," he said with a somewhat shy smile. "But everyone calls me Victor."

"What would you prefer?"

The man pondered my question for a moment. "My previous owner called me Vitya as a dog and Victor as a human... it made it easier for him to separate us. You... you could do the same... if you wanted to?" His shy demeanour took me by surprise.

"You had another owner?" Given his temperament, I had suspected that he had once belonged to someone else. "What happened to him?"

The man blushed. "He met someone." He said softly. "He didn't like dogs."

"So he abandoned you?" I was outraged.

"No. He would never have done that," he smiled sadly. "I could see what it was doing to him. I could see how much he still cared for me as Victor and I could see his loyalty to Vitya but I could also see how much he loved his new boyfriend. So I left."

"You..." _I wanted to hug him._ "Why?"

"It's not the first time I've left a home," he said with a shrug. "It's a normal part of life for my kind. We're used to keeping on the move."

I paused for a moment. "Your kind?"

"Spirit Walkers," he replied as if I should know what he was talking about. "We're half animal, half human."

"And that's why you can turn into a dog..." _If I hadn't seen it for myself, I still wouldn't have believed it._ "So you're... you're like a werewolf?"

"Switching from human to canine is the only similarity," he explained with enthusiasm. "I was born like this. Spirit Walkers are more like shape shifters. We can change into our animal forms at will and being bitten by one of us is no different than being bitten by any other kind of animal."

I nodded as he spoke to let him know I understood him, even thought everything he told me was so unbelievable. "So there are more of you?"

Victor nodded. "There are packs, families, across the entire globe. They can change into all kinds of animals depending on the family lineage. Some live just as you do, able to blend into society while some prefer to stay close to nature."

"And you?" I asked. "What do you prefer?"

"I prefer to make the best of both worlds," Victor smiled. "Being a pet allows me to live in relative safety in the city. I come from a family who prefer to keep to the wilderness so I don't officially exist in your world. It would be dangerous for me to be alone out there in my human form."

I couldn't imagine it. I couldn't imagine giving everything up and submitting to being a pet. To learn to come when called, to be so reliant on someone else... I would feel so trapped... I paused in my thoughts. It reminded me of my relationship with Michael.

"Would you... would you want to live as a human here?" I asked after a moment. If there was a way to help him gain his freedom, his independence, I found that I wanted to help.

"There are ways," Victor said with a sigh. "I'm not sure if it's what I want..."

"I'll help you," I said. "If I can and if you decide you want to, then I want to help."

Victor smiled. "Thank you, Yuuri," he shuffled toward me and before I could back away, he threw his arms around my shoulders and hugged me. I was taken by surprise but I smiled against his shoulder and returned the hug. It was at that moment that I remembered something _. He was naked!_

"Er... Victor?"

"Hmm?" He hummed against my neck.

"Would you like some clothes?" I asked as I pulled away. I felt myself blush.

"No, I'm ok," Victor shrugged. "I like being naked."

 _That wasn't the answer I'd expected_. "If Phichit walks in, explaining why I have a man in my flat will be hard enough. Explaining why said man is naked..."

Victor laughed, it was warm and full and the sound landed heavily in the pit of my stomach. "Oh, I see," he grinned. "No problem! I can change back into Vitya..."

"No!" The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I had no idea why I was so zealous in my reaction. From the look on Victor's face, I had taken him by surprise too. "I mean... I've just... I've just met you." I winched at how much I stuttered. "I mean, properly met you. As in Victor... the human not..." I sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, I'd like to talk to you a little more. If you're ok with that."

Victor smiled and he reached his hand toward mine. He entwined our fingers and squeezed gently. "We can talk as much as you want. You only need to ask, Yuuri. I'll always be here for you."

I returned his smile and for a moment, I really wanted to believe that he was really always going to be there but I knew he might not be. He'd said it himself, moving on was part of his nature.

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 **So there it is! I hope you liked it and that it made you giggle a little. I really would love to know what you think about this chapter so do drop me a line.**

 **Thanks again for reading. You guys are awesome! xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Evening!**

 **I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. With Christmas approaching, I've been super busy with work and family visits. Work aside, family visits are always great and while I did intend to write even while they were here, I was far too tired by the end of the day. So that's why a) this chapter is late and b) my feet will never be the same after all the walking I did.**

 **Anyway... new chapter, yey! This follows on straight from the last chapter. The next few chapters will all take place within a short amount of time while I explore this new dynamic between Yuuri and Vitya/Victor. And let me tell you, I've already been playing around with this and my exploration has taken me deep into the rabbit hole. Which, by the way, I would 10 out of 10 recommend.**

 **As I'm onto the fourth chapter now, I think this is the point in which I should say, occasionally I ramble in my intro because I'm just insane. I probably should start every new fic with a disclaimer... Be warned! Here be a rambling loonatic. But I don't. I just let you all think I'm completely normal and then BAM! Out comes the crazy.**

 **...**

 **Moving on. Thank you all so so much for your support and comments and all the things! You're amazing and I'm really enjoying this fandom so far. Thank you again for making me feel so welcome. Big hugs all 'round!**

 **Happy reading xxx**

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Chapter 04

When I noticed the time, I was glad that it was the weekend. Victor and I had been talking all night and before either of us realised, it was 3am. As Victor explained about the many types of Spirit Walkers, my mind wandered. Not because I wasn't interested, I wanted to know about the other animals people could morph into, but when I would remember the night that Fluffy followed me into the shower or the day when I let him lick the melted ice cream off my arm when I had poured my sorrows into a family size tub of Salted Caramel ice cream... I was mortified. I'd rubbed his belly and laughed at him when he licked my feet. Fluffy had seen me naked, seen me cry over my ex. They were all intimate moments that I'd been willing to share with my dog but I would not have shared with another person. I tried to hide what I was feeling, especially as Victor looked so eager to share what it had been like for him as a child, how he could not control his changes and would turn into a dog as soon as he got excited or angry. It meant he couldn't be around humans, that he had to stay in the confines of his family home.

"It must have been lonely," I said all of a sudden.

"I had my family," Victor shrugged.

"But did you have other children to play with?" I couldn't imagine what my life would have been like without my childhood friends back in Japan.

"My family played with me," Victor smiled. "Pups are taught by their elders through play. Don't feel sorry for me Yuuri, I was very loved."

"Then... if you don't mind me asking... why did you leave them?" I didn't know if I was overstepping the boundary but he didn't seem to mind the question.

"We're encouraged to leave the pack when we feel ready," he said. "I left when I was 18."

"But why?" I left my home for school and it had been my own choice to stay for university rather than return to my home country. But I always thought that at some point I would return, perhaps it was the same for Victor.

"My family will always be my pack and I would be welcomed whenever I decided to go home but..." he paused. "I wanted to experience the world outside my pack. Whether as a dog or a man, it doesn't matter to me. I didn't want to find mate, I wanted to travel."

Even though it had only been a few hours, the more I was getting to know Victor the more I was starting to like him as a person. He was a free spirit and I envied that about him. He was living as he wanted. Despite being a pet, he was completely in control of his own life. I had thought he must have felt trapped but he'd explained how easy it would be for him to walk away whenever he wanted. He wasn't trapped as I had assumed. In fact, he was freer than I'd ever been.

"You must be tired," Victor suddenly said. I looked up at him I'm surprise.

"Yeah," I felt the weariness seep into my body. "I guess I am."

"You should go to bed," he smiled kindly. "We can talk more tomorrow if you wish."

I was about to stand up when my stomach growled. Victor laughed.

"Someone's hungry," he grinned.

I felt myself blush. "Yeah I guess so."

"I'll make you something to eat," Victor rolled up the sleeves of the black hoodie he'd selected from my wardrobe and jumped up from the sofa.

"You can cook?" As soon as the question was out of my mouth, I wished I could take it back.

"My grandmother taught me," Victor said. "We might be wolf dogs but we Russians still prefer a home-cooked meal over the raw meat our wolf ancestors favoured."

I wanted to die from embarrassment! "Of course!" I said quickly. "I didn't mean... I just..." I pushed my glasses up on the bridge of my nose. "It's just, not many of my friends can cook so I usually end up cooking for everyone."

Victor smiled. "I'd be happy to cook for you, Yuuri." He strode into the kitchen with the same enthusiasm I'd seen on Fluffy whenever I asked him to fetch something. "What would you like?" He turned to look at me with his arms outstretched. "I'll make you anything you want."

His smile was contagious and I couldn't help but laugh. "You decide," I said. "Nothing too heavy," I made to stand up but Victor pointed his finger at me.

"Sit." His voice was commanding and I did as he said. "You've had a long day so you should relax," he said as he began to look through the cupboards and fridge. "Now, how about egg bread?"

It shouldn't have surprised me to see how well he knew the kitchen but it did. "Sure," I replied as I watched him.

"Do you mind if I have some too?" He asked over his shoulder as he cracked eggs into a bowl. "It's been awhile since I've had anything that wasn't either out of a garbage bin or made for pets."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. "I've been feeding you dog food... I'm so sorry Victor!"

Victor laughed. "Don't worry about it! How were you to know?" he glanced over at me and flashed me a bright smile. "At least it was dog food made with real meat and vegetables, nothing like the stuff those other people tried to feed me."

"I'm still sorry," I gave him a sheepish look.

"There's no need to be," Victor assured me. "I'm just very glad to be here."

I smiled. "You're happy here?"

"Of course," he said. "I knew I would be. After all, I chose you just as much as you chose me."

"Really?" _He chose me?_ Victor nodded. "Why?" I asked.

"You seemed kind," Victor said after a moment. "Canine's can sense that kind of thing and something told me I'd be happy here." He looked over at me again and smiled. "And I liked the way you smelt."

"I..." I paused and resisted the urge to smell myself. "I smell?"

"Everyone has a smell," Victor shrugged. "You can tell a lot about a person from the way they smell. The kind of food they like, what type of life they lead, whether they live alone or have family. You smelt... sweet. Fresh. It was nice."

Half of me wanted to know more but the other half was happy to know that I smelt nice and wished to know nothing else. I decided to change the subject to a safer topic but before I could, Victor spoke first.

"Can I ask why you chose me?"

"Oh er..." I thought back to the night when I first saw the video and smiled. "I suppose it was his eyes... your eyes..." I blushed. I could feel those very eyes on me as I turned to look down at my feet. "It just felt right... something told me to go down to the shelter, to meet you. As soon as I saw you in that cage, it felt like I was seeing an old friend." I cringed over how cheesy my own words sounded.

"I know what you mean," Victor gave me a kind smile. "I felt the same. It was part of the reason I wanted to show myself to you." Victor plated up our food and brought it to me on the sofa. He'd poured honey on top of the bread; he must have taken note that I liked sweet things. I was touched.

"I didn't plan on doing it so soon," Victor continued. "I wanted to get to know you more but you..." he paused abruptly and I got the sense that he had been about to say something that he didn't want to say in front of me. "I just didn't want to wait anymore."

I looked over at him as we both took a moment to eat. "I'm glad you didn't wait," I said after a while. "I can't help but think about all the embarrassing things you've seen me do... things I couldn't dream of doing if I'd known I was with another person..." I caught Victor's eyes drop down to the floor and I realised that it sounded like I was unhappy with him. "It's not your fault... I'm not complaining it's just...I can't help feeling embarrassed."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," Victor said, putting down his plate after he finished his food.

"I've cried like a kid on you," I reminded him. "Multiple times!"

"I'm glad I was there to comfort you," he said.

"I've walked around the place naked and no one wants to see me naked!" I felt myself blush at the thought.

"I do," Victor smirked and I felt myself blush even harder. "You've seen me in some compromising positions too," he said in an obvious attempt to make me feel better. "That time I chased after the squirrel and ended up in that big muddy puddle..." he shook his head and I noticed the slight pink flush in his cheeks. "I think I'd been in my animal form too long. I usually have better control over my instincts."

I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up out of my chest at the memory. "You were very cute," I said with a grin. "You looked so sorry for yourself."

Victor looked up at me from under his long grey hair. "You thought I was cute?" His blue eyes shone bright and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

I paused, unsure how to respond to him. He had been cute that day. In fact, there hadn't been a day that passed that Fluffy wasn't cute in some way but having Victor sitting beside me... this man who was also my dog... this man who was very much my type... this man who was sitting a little too close to me...

I laughed nervously. "All fluffy dogs are cute," I said eventually. It was a cop out and we both knew it.

Victor looked away. "I'm sorry for the state of your bathroom that day," he said softly.

I thought back to the mud splashed walls and the amount of time it had taken me to clean it up. "You can make it up to me by making me that egg bread whenever I fancy it."

Victor turned to look at me with a smile. "I'll do anything you want," he said. "You only have to ask."

It surprised me just how intense he could be at times. Perhaps it was the dog in him that made him so eager to please. I wondered if he'd always been like that, if he'd been like that with the previous owner he'd spoken so fondly of. _Had anyone ever done the same for him?_

"What do you want, Victor?" I asked.

Victor stared at me with blank eyes. _I had my answer._

"You have given me a home," he said simply. "There is nothing else."

I frowned. "You said you wanted to experience life in the city," I reminded him. "Don't you want to see it as Victor?"

He looked confused for a moment. "You... you wouldn't mind being seen out with me like this?"

My first reaction was to laugh. "Why would I mind being seen with a guy that looks like..." I had shut my mouth just in time and I hoped Victor wouldn't catch what I'd been about to say.

"What do I look like, Yuuri?" Victor's voice was low and soft and it settled hot and heavy in the pit of my stomach. I tried to remind myself that this guy had been my dog just a few hours ago but when I looked at his face, I knew I was in trouble. _I was like a dog in heat!_

"You know how you look," I whispered as I looked down at my hands. _He had to know!_

I felt Victor's fingers hook under my chin and after a moment, I allowed him to lift my head until our eyes met. He didn't say anything at first but he smiled and pushed my fringe out of my eyes. "You look tired," he eventually said.

"I should go to bed," I agreed and I was grateful that he hadn't pushed me into admitting anything more.

I stood up from the sofa and made my way into the bathroom where I took my time getting washed and brushing my teeth. I was too tired to dwell on everything that had happened with Fluffy... Vitya... Victor? I sighed. _This was going to be confusing._

I left the bathroom and stepped into my bedroom. When I turned the light on, I realised that something was missing. Every night since I had brought him home, Fluffy would wait for me while I brushed my teeth. Usually he dozed at the end of the bed or crawled onto my side of the bed to warm it up for me. But he was nowhere to be seen. _Had he decided to stay in the living room in his human form?_

I made my way into the living room. "Victor?" The dirty plates had gone from the living room and I looked over at the sink in the kitchen to see the pots that had been used for our late night snack drying on the drainer.

A whiney yawn drew my attention to the fluffy dog laid in his bed. "Fluffy... sorry," I gave him an apologetic smile. "Are you staying out here Vitya?"

Vitya lifted his head and titled it to the side.

"It'll get cold out here," I said to him. "You don't have to stay there. No matter what or who you are, you're still my friend... aren't you?" Vitya's ears perked up and he gave a small huff in agreement. "Good," I nodded. "Then you don't have to stay out here, unless you want to of course."

I had barely finished talking when Vitya sprang out of his bed and dashed into the bedroom. He dove onto the bed and bounced happily. I stood in the doorway for a moment, a smile on my lips as I watched him. When he noticed me, he stopped and lowered his head onto his front paws, his butt up in the air as his tail wagged.

I laughed and I patted his head as I walked passed him to my wardrobe. "Look away while I change," I said to him. Vitya whined a little and instead of turning away, he lay down on the bed and placed his paws over his eyes. _Cute!_

I quickly changed into my pajama bottoms and slipped a t-shirt on. When I turned back toward the bed, I caught Vitya cover his eyes again. "You cheat!" I laughed. Vitya lifted up his head, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he grinned at me. I blushed. "You're the worst." Vitya barked.

As I climbed into bed, Vitya took up his usual place at the bottom of the bed. I watched him circle a few times before he settled down and closed his eyes.

"Good night Victor," I said into the quiet.

The dog opened one eye and gave me a sleepy _woof_ in response.

As strange as my day had been, I couldn't help but smile. Bringing a dog into my home was to help me move on with my life, to help me get over my ex. I wanted change but I had not expected this. I wouldn't be surprised if I awoke in a few hours to find I had drank too much at the pub and that all this had been an alcohol induced dream. That Vitya was just Fluffy and that Victor had been a model I'd seen somewhere on a poster.

I felt my eyes grow heavy as sleep drew me in. When the time came to wake up, I didn't know what I would prefer to find. The safety and simplicity of my life with Fluffy or the complicated but exciting life with Victor?

Before I fell asleep, I felt a heavy weight settle in beside me. I felt myself being pulled and I sighed into the warmth that surrounded me.

" _Victor_..."

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 **Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd really love to know what you think so far.**

 **Coming up? Phichit meets Victor... O_O This will be delightful!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone!**

 **Another update. I'm on roll! Boom! This generally means that I'm not sleeping. For me, being awake at 2am makes me more productive. So obviously I put that to good use and write fanfic. I'm such a good fangirl XD**

 **Anyhow, this picks up right after the last chapter. I hope you like it. It's quite a bit longer than usual but I couldn't stop. Also, something happened at the end that I hadn't been expecting to happen so soon. What can I say? Victor has a mind of his own and when he wants something, who am I to say no? I'm so weird.**

 **Now enough of me rambling away. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you once again to everyone reading and commenting or adding me to all the things. You're an amazing bunch and I'm sending you all massive hugs!**

 **Rex xxx**

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Chapter 05

If you thought waking up to find yourself pressed up against a man's chiseled chest was something to be excited about, you'd be wrong. For the 30 seconds where I lingered in dream land with a man who knew what to do with his hands, I snuggled into the warmth that I assumed was my pillow. When the pillow sneezed, my eyes shot open.

"Victor?!" I sat up and scrambled away. The entire time my eyes never left him but he didn't seem to care. He didn't seem at all phased as he stretched leisurely and rubbed at his eyes.

"Good morning," he yawned.

"Good morning?!" I knew that I had invited him into my bed but I hadn't expected to find myself curled up against him! Nor had I expected to find Victor! I paused in my outrage. _Was I being fair to him?_ I had told Vitya to come into the bedroom, had been happy for him to sleep at the end of my bed. But Victor shouldn't have to sleep as Vitya just for my sake. I immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," Victor said as he sat up against the headboard. The sheets fell down around his waist and I immediately looked up at the ceiling to avoid the inevitable staring. _This was not the time for eye candy!_ "Nature was calling but I didn't want to wake you to be let out," he had a guilty look himself. "And afterward I was too tired to change back... I would have gone into the living room but it was cold..."

"It's ok," I interrupted him. "I was surprised but it's ok." He looked relieved. "Maybe when I next get paid we could get a sofa bed for the living room and a heater? That way you'll have your own space."

"Oh." It could have been my imagination but Victor looked a little disappointed. "Thank you."

"What time is it?" I asked.

Victor shrugged. "I don't know but your phone has been vibrating for a while."

I reached over for my phone just as Victor was about to get out bed. I watched him throw the covers back and I couldn't help but admire the way his muscles moved in his back and thighs. I purposefully left out the bit between the back and thighs. _He's my friend and my dog!_ I needed to keep this mantra on a loop in the back of my mind.

I looked down at my phone to distract myself from watching Victor look for something to wear. "Oh it's Phichit," I opened my phone to find six messages from him. They began with asking me about what I thought of Alex, moved to asking if the reason I wasn't replying was because I'd gone home with Alex, to wondering if I'd been murdered, to demanding a reply and threatening to come over. I shook my head and laughed.

"What is it?" Victor asked.

I looked up to see Victor leaning against the wardrobe in a pair of jeans that looked far better on him then they ever had on me. His chest was still bare and his long hair brushed against his skin. I sighed at the direction my thoughts were going and looked back down at my phone. "Phichit is demanding to know what happened with Alex..." I stopped and looked up at Victor. W _hy did I suddenly feel bad for talking about Alex?_ I was excited about this new guy, about the prospect of being with someone that cares about me. _Wasn't I?_

"Alex was the guy Phichit wanted you to meet," Victor said. I frowned for a moment until I realised that even though Victor had been in his animal form, he had still heard everything Phichit said when he came to the flat.

"Yes." I wasn't really sure what else to say.

"And that's who I smelt on you when you came home," he said quietly.

"Yes." I suddenly felt like I was cheating.

Victor nodded. "If... if things start to get serious with him..." he sighed. "You can tell me if you want to leave, there's no need to worry or feel guilty."

"No!" I remembered why he left his previous owner. "This isn't... I just met him last night. It's far too early for that."

"I know," Victor gave me a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But if the time does come, I need you to know it's ok."

"It won't," I said.

Victor sighed and headed toward the door. Before he left the room, he stopped beside me and dropped a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll make breakfast," he said. "Then can go for a walk in the park?"

"Sure..." I watched him leave. I had a sudden feeling that Victor was unhappy about something. Was it Alex or was it the possibility of having to leave another home he was happy in? No matter what happened between Alex and I, I would never ask Victor to leave. I knew of the complications that could arise but I also knew that he could potentially be in the same position should he meet someone in the future.

 _We needed a bigger flat._

I smiled at the thought. Living with Victor as a housemate rather than a pet would be fun. _Wouldn't it?_ I leaped out of bed, excited to broach the concept with Victor. I had just made it out of the bedroom when the door to the flat flew open to reveal Phichit and Leo.

The noise drew Victor from the kitchen and we both stared at the other two men, completely frozen in place. Phichit and Leo had yet to notice the hunk standing half naked in the flat. _They must be really hungover!_

"Yuuri Katsuki!" Phichit marched toward me, his finger pointed in my face. "Do you know how worried I've been? You need to check your messages more often! You walked out with a stranger and didn't bother to text me to let me know you'd got home safe. I've been worried sick! And I have a terrible hangover..." I looked over Phichit's shoulder to see that Leo had spotted Victor. Slack-jawed, he tapped Phichit on the shoulder. "Not now, Leo! I'm shouting at Yuuri." Leo stepped away from Phichit but he kept his eyes on Victor who went back into the kitchen and began to make coffee.

"Phichit..." I tried to interrupt him but Phichit was long gone. Once Phichit started on one of his rants, there was no stopping him.

"You could have been murdered for all I knew!" Phichit continued and I rolled my eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me! You hear about young gay men being attacked all the time, what if that had happened to you?"

"But it didn't!" I managed to say. "I'm fine!"

Phichit crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't look fine," he said. "You look like you didn't get much sleep - do you know who else didn't get any sleep? Me!"

I sighed. "I'm sorry you were worried but I'm honestly fine." I lied. I wasn't fine, I was panicking. Victor was walking toward us with two cups of coffee. _Why didn't he change back when he heard the door open?!_

Phichit huffed. "I'm so mad at you," he said.

"Perhaps coffee will help?" Victor handed one cup to a stunned Phichit and gave Leo the other one. "I added a little sugar to help with the hangover."

Phichit gaped at Victor. "Thanks..."

"Would you like some breakfast?" Victor gave Phichit and Leo a warm smile.

"... sure..." Phichit said and I noticed the way his eyes drifted down Victor's chest. _I'd never seen him so lost for words!_

As soon as Victor turned his back, Phichit and Leo were on me. "Who the hell is that?!" Phichit asked in a not so very quiet whisper.

"Er... that's Victor..." _This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not this soon!_

"Is he the reason you didn't text Phichit last night?" Leo grinned.

"Yes...?" I winched at how high my voice had gone. It wasn't a total lie. I had been completely distracted by Victor but I could tell from the looks on their faces that what they were thinking couldn't be further from the truth.

"Yuuri!" Phichit grabbed my arm and pulled me into the bedroom. Leo closed the door behind us. "Who is he?"

"Someone I met at work..." I should have known this would happen at some point. Victor and I should have come up with a story.

"But why is he here?" Leo asked.

"And what happened to Alex?" Phichit added.

"I bumped into him after Alex went home and we just got talking..." _It was all lies!_

"And now he's half naked in your flat," Phichit finished for me.

"Making really great coffee," Leo said as he finished off his coffee.

"You're not helping!" Phichit nudged his shoulder.

"I promise to tell you everything," I said in an attempt to throw them off the scent. "Just not right now. Ok?"

"You better do," Phichit said.

"But let's wait until Guang-Hong is around too," Leo grinned. "He'll definitely want to hear this!"

"I'm glad my life provides you with so much entertainment," I rolled my eyes but both Phichit and Leo laughed. They pulled me back into the living room where Victor had put down plates on the kitchen table.

"Just in time," he smiled at us. "I have eggs, bacon and toast."

"Great!" Leo dived for the nearest chair and began to dig in. "Thanks Victor!" He said around a mouth full of food.

As Phichit took a seat, I rubbed at my temples. I was getting a headache.

"You ok?" I felt Victor's hand rub across my back.

I opened my eyes and smiled at him. "Yeah," I said after a moment. "I could really do with a cup of coffee."

Victor smirked. "Coming right up," he said as he began filling up a cup for me.

I turned to take a seat at the table only to find Phichit and Leo with their forks suspended halfway to their mouths, their eyes were wide as they stared at me. I felt Victor's hand on my back again.

"Sit down," he said softly. "Your breakfast will get cold." I did as he asked and took my seat. He placed my coffee in front of me and sat down in the space next to me.

There was a moment of awkward silence and I tried to ignore the burning looks I received from Phichit.

Thankfully, it was Leo who broke the silence. "Hey, where's Fluffy?"

I stared at him for a moment. _What did I say to this?_ "He erm..." I glanced at Victor. "At a friends..."

Leo looked happy with the reply but Phichit narrowed his eyes at me. "What friends?" He asked in suspicion. "Me and Leo are here and Guang-Hong is at work."

I narrowed my own eyes in return. I would have preferred if he hadn't pointed out my lack of a social life in front of Victor.

"They're technically my friends," Victor said in a casual voice. "Yuuri's met them a few times and we're all becoming good friends." _I wanted to kiss him!_ "More importantly, Vitya seems to like them so Yuuri can drop him off whenever he needs a dog sitter."

I smiled at Victor and I felt his hand land on my knee under the table and squeeze it gently.

"Vitya?" Leo asked with a frown.

"Yuuri didn't tell you?" He knew I hadn't, there hadn't been time but I could tell by the way Victor leaned back in his chair that it was all part of the cover. He looked far more relaxed than I felt. "Yuuri changed his name to Vitya, I think it suits him better." Victor smiled at my friends. "Don't you agree?"

"I think it's great," Leo said with a happy smile.

Phichit looked at me in surprise. "You renamed him?" He asked. He looked hurt that I hadn't told him.

"He wasn't responding to Fluffy," I hoped he couldn't hear the lie in my voice. "And I felt ridiculous calling him at the park."

"So where did Vitya come from?" Phichit asked. I knew what was coming, I was in for a 'Phichit Interrogation'.

"A magazine," I replied quickly.

"You don't read magazines," he pointed out.

"It was at the gallery," I replied.

"What were you reading about?"

"A Russian photographer," I said. "He was being interviewed about moving here and photographing the city. It was really interesting, I could send you a link to the article online..."

"That's ok," Phichit said as he returned to his food.

I let out a little sigh of relief. I knew Phichit wouldn't be interested in reading anything about photography so I hadn't been concerned about offering to send him the fictional article. I was proud of myself for sounding so believable. _I was getting better at this!_

"So," Phichit turned his attention to Victor. "What is that accent I hear in your voice?"

Victor smiled. "I'm from Russia," he said.

"Huh," Phichit looked over at me. "You haven't named your dog after him have you?"

"What?!" I looked at Victor nervously. "Of course not!"

"I'm not the photographer," Victor laughed.

"But you work with Yuuri, yes?" Phichit asked.

I tried to meet Victor's eye, to give him some kind of signal that would tell him to play along. But Victor nodded at Phichit's question. He seemed to understand what was going on.

"What do you do?" He asked.

"Nothing much," Victor gave a sheepish look. "I'm mostly an assistant. I get coffee, take minutes, answer phones. That sort of thing." If Victor ever got sick of life as pet, he would definitely make it as an actor!

"Really?" Phichit didn't look convinced.

"I'm travelling." Victor said and I noted that it wasn't a complete lie. "I fell in love with the city so I decided to stay a while. My job at the gallery might not be making me a fortune but it means I can get by."

"And what is this between you and my best friend?"

Leo coughed into his coffee while I almost choked on the bacon I'd put in my mouth. "Phichit!" It was Leo who made his surprise known.

"What?" Phichit turned to look at his housemate. "I don't know this guy and I want to make sure Yuuri is ok."

"You're not his mother," Leo grinned. "Leave the guy alone."

"It's ok," Victor gave an easy laugh. He seemed to take the whole thing in his stride. I wish I could say the same for myself. _I wanted to crawl into a hole and die!_ "I like Yuuri," Victor said after a moment. "I enjoy his company."

"You like him?" Phichit asked. "What does that mean?"

"Phichit," my voice held a warning in it.

"I don't know yet," Victor shrugged. "All I know is that I like Yuuri and that he has a great best friend who really cares about him."

"He's really nice!" Leo whispered loudly to Phichit.

"I'm the closest thing Yuuri has to family here," Phichit ignored Leo. "You hurt him and you'll be answering to me."

Victor nodded. "I understand," he said.

"Phichit you're the worst," I buried my head in my hands.

"I just want to know that you're ok," he said. I looked up at my friend who had such a serious expression on his face.

"If I didn't know you both so well, I'd think there something going on between you," Leo said with a big grin and a suggestive wink.

Phichit and I tried to keep a straight face but it was impossible. We both doubled over in a fit of giggles. Phichit was my best friend, my family. We knew everything about each other and the love we shared was that of brothers. There had never been anything more than friendship for us.

"As much as I love you Yuuri, it would never work," Phichit said as he wiped tears from his eyes.

"My heart is broken," I laughed.

With the mood considerably lighter, Phichit and Leo began telling me all about what had happened at the bar after I left. Apparently there was a guy there Phichit had taken an interest in.

"Would anyone like more coffee?" Victor asked as he began to clear the table.

"You don't have to do that," I said to him.

Victor smiled at me and I felt his hand graze my shoulder. "I don't mind," he said. "Besides, I should get going soon."

I frowned. "Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting some friends," Victor said in keeping with the charade. "And you should be picking up Vitya. You promised him a walk in the park." His smile made my stomach flutter with butterflies. I couldn't wait to walk through the park with him. I could see it in my mind, the pair of us walking side by side along the water and...

"We'll come with you to pick him up..." Phichit began. I quickly interrupted him before he could shatter my day dream.

"No you don't need to do that," I said.

"We don't have anything better to do," Phichit replied. "I'd like to see the big fluff ball."

My day dream was quickly fading. "I'll be taking him straight to the park so..."

"Great! I need to pick up some new bedding for the hamsters so I'll collect it from the pet store near the park," Phichit smiled. I knew he wasn't doing it on purpose. Phichit genuinely wanted to spend time with me and usually I felt the same but at that moment...

"I'll go change," Victor had finished the dishes and headed for my bedroom.

It was at that point when Leo leaned over to Phichit and saved my morning in the park with Victor. "I think Yuuri and Victor would like some alone time."

Phichit looked at me. "So you're not just friends!"

"No, we are!" I insisted. "Definitely just friends."

"Are you crazy?" Phichit asked. I frowned. "You have a gorgeous half naked man in your flat and you're trying to tell me you're not interested in him?"

"Says the guy who probably just scared him away," I laughed. "That was quite a grilling, even for you."

"He's hot and charming," Phichit crossed his arms over his chest. "They were two of the things that had you going back to Michael. I wanted to make sure he was nothing like him."

"He's nothing like him," I assured him. "I learned my lesson, Phichit. I'll never fall for another guy like that."

"Good," Phichit nodded. "Then we'll leave you and Victor alone to... well, to do whatever it is you _friends_ we're doing last night."

I rolled my eyes. "Goodbye Phichit!"

After I saw Phichit and Leo out, I made my way back into the bedroom where I found Victor waiting for me. "I'm sorry about Phichit," I said with an apologetic smile.

"He's just trying to protect you," Victor said.

"Over protecting," I muttered.

"From what I know of your relationship with Michael, I can see why," Victor said softly.

I blushed. I was fully prepared to admit that when it came to Michael, I couldn't seem to resist him. No matter how badly I had been treated, I just hadn't been able to say no to him. But in the end I'd found my strength the last time Michael walked out. I didn't wait for him this time, I found my own inner strength and left. I promised myself I wouldn't allow him to pull me back in.

"I was different then," I said after a moment. "He always made me feel like I couldn't be without him, like I was weak."

Victor moved toward me and rested his forehead against mine. His hands came up to rest on my shoulders and his fingertips grazing the sensitive skin on my neck. A pleasant shiver ran up my spine. "You're not a weak person," he said softly. "I was able to see a burning strength in you the moment I met you. You just need to find your confidence. You're better than he ever will be, I truly believe that. You deserve to be happy, to be loved. Whether with... Alex... or someone else. You deserve it because you are a good person, Yuuri."

Victor brushed his nose against mine and I felt my breath hitch in my chest. "Victor..." I tilted my head just a touch but it was enough. Enough for Victor's lips to hover my own, enough for me to feel him step closer, his body press into mine.

"May I kiss you Yuuri?"

As ridiculous as it was, I couldn't help it. _I wanted him. I wanted him badly_.

"Yes."

* * *

 **And... let's take a break :P hahah! Don't worry though, I have another update coming out very soon!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Phichit's reaction might have been a little different to how you imagined but in this fic, Phichit watched Yuuri get sucked deeper and deeper into his relationship with Michael. So he feels very protective of Yuuri, not just with potential new partners but also with life in general. They're like brothers and they look out for each other. So yeah, I hope you liked it. I had fun writing him and Leo in this chapter.**

 **Remember to let me know your thoughts and feelings. I love seeing you guys guess what's coming up next and getting excited about the characters. You're all amazing! xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello!**

 **I'm sorry for the delay in getting this out. I hoped to have a lot of updates out over Christmas but I got ill and things were busy so I just didn't have the time or energy. However, the update is here!**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you to everyone who has commented and left likes/kudos, etc. You're all amazing and so very kind. I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter so do leave me a note or comment.**

 **Happy reading everyone!**

 **Xxx**

* * *

Chapter 06

"May I kiss you Yuuri?"

"Yes."

His breath was warm on my lips, his hands soft on the back of my neck as he drew me into him. Given that he had asked, I wasn't surprised when he tentatively pressed his lips to mine. What did surprise me, was the little moan I let out. Victor smiled against my lips and repeated the kiss. I wanted to run, to hide in my embarrassment but when I tried to step back, Victor held me tighter and deepened the kiss.

Being kissed by Victor was like nothing I'd felt before. He was like fire, pressing feverish kisses across my jaw until my body sank against his and I moaned again. Victor's hands travelled down my back, under my shirt where he began to sensually massage my muscles. As he continued to kiss me, my cock jumped in my pants, suddenly more alive than it had been for months. I tried to take a step back again, ashamed at my own arousal but Victor held me in place. His hands moved over my hips, pulled us even closer together and ground his own arousal against me. I gasped into his mouth.

 _What was I doing?_

My hands held onto Victor by their own accord, my lips and tongue matched his passion. My hips ground against his and a wave of pleasure pulsed through my excited body. It would be so easy to let the temptation of ecstasy carry me away but I knew I shouldn't.

"Wait... Victor..."

Victor's body leapt away from mine.

I looked up at him through a haze of arousal. "What am I doing?" The question wasn't for him but I could see the confusion on his face as he thought about the question.

"I'm sorry Yuuri..." he said after a moment. I watched him run his hands through his hair and sit on the edge of my bed. He dropped his head, his face covered by his hands. "I didn't mean to get so carried away..."

"Its... its ok..." It really was. I hadn't minded at all. In fact, from the way my body responded, I more than enjoyed it and he knew it too.

"It's been awhile since I've had a lover..." he lifted his head and gave me a sheepish smile. "And you're cute. Just my type."

I couldn't help it, I blushed. "I didn't mind," I wished for all the world I could have said something cooler.

"I could tell," he grinned. My blush increased. "But I don't want to make you uncomfortable so if I have then I'm sorry," he said as he stood up. "The guy you met last night, I know you liked him. I don't want to get in the way..."

"You won't," I said quickly. There was nothing there to get in the way of.

"In any case," his hand brushed my shoulder as he walked passed me. "It won't happen again."

For some reason, I felt like crying.

-x-

When I was finished getting ready for our walk, I was surprised to find Vitya waiting by the door with his lead hanging from his mouth. I thought he had wanted to go as Victor? When I asked him, Vitya looked pointedly at the door and whined to let me know that he was ready to leave.

We walked to the park slower than usual and I couldn't help but notice that Vitya wasn't his usual bouncing self I had come to expect. Instead he kept his head low and sniffed at the grass he passed. Eventually, we sat at the same bench we always stopped at.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I patted him on the head. Vitya turned to look at me with a grin, his tongue licking my hand before I had chance to pull it away.

Before long, Vitya stood up and began to lead me toward to the lake. I let him off the lead and watched Vitya pad down to the waters edge where he sat on his haunches and watched the ducks lazily tread water. I sat down on the grass just behind him, he seemed to want some space. As I watched his keen eyes track the ducks, I knew that this was the reason we could never be anything more than friends.

Vitya and Victor lead a completely different life to me and I couldn't see how we would ever be able to become anything more. In his heart, Victor was a wolf. A wolf with a pack and animal instinct. _How would a human ever fit into that?_

I knew I was getting ahead of myself, that I had no place to be thinking of such things. Victor had done nothing more than kiss me and he made it clear that the only reason he did it was because he hadn't had a lover in a while. Even though he'd said I was his type, I couldn't allow myself to fall for him. Despite the fact that he was my type too... I shook myself to clear my thoughts and looked up to see Vitya begin to walk around the lake. I stood up slowly and walked after him.

Vitya sniffed at the long grass as we headed around the lake. There were more ducks snoozing along the banks and Vitya bounced after them, seeming more himself than he had when we left the flat. The sky grew darker all of a sudden and I looked up to see grey clouds fast approaching.

"We should go home," I said to Vitya who looked up at me. "It looks like it's going to rain."

Vitya nodded in agreement. I pulled his leash out of my pocket and was about to clip it onto his collar when my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I quickly scrambled to get it, even though I knew it was probably Phichit who would want to talk about Victor sooner rather than later. When I looked down at the screen and caught sight of the caller, the phone slipped from my fingers, bounced on the grass and fell into the lake with a plop.

"No... no, no, no..." I grabbed hands full of my hair and stared down into the water where I could see my phone slowly sinking into the green and brown sludge. "I'm an idiot..." I covered my eyes with my hands and took a deep breath. There was only one thing for it, I would need to jump in after it. I know I wouldn't have been able to afford a brand new phone but repair costs might be more manageable.

I looked up in time to see Vitya running toward me. There was no mistaking what he had in mind.

"Vitya, no!" It was too late. Vitya had plunged head first into the lake and I jumped out of the way to avoid the spray of water left behind. I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the edge of the water where Vitya dived under the surface in an attempt to find my phone. "Vitya, please leave it and come back here!" A few other dog walkers around the lake stopped and watched us with amused expressions. Vitya suddenly broke through the water, my phone held between his teeth. He held his head up high as if to show me it. "Good, now please get out of there!" He was covered in whatever my phone had fallen into.

"There's a hosepipe by the bike path as you come into the park at the south entrance," an elderly man smiled as he stopped beside me. "You'll want to rinse him down before you go home."

"I'll ring his neck if he doesn't get out soon," I mumbled to myself. "Vitya, come here!" He finally swam toward me.

By the time he crawled out of the lake, the old man had left and the other on lookers had already lost interest. Vitya trotted over to me and put my sopping wet phone into my hand. "Don't you dare shake!" I said quickly, which caused Vitya to freeze in place, his brow creased as he tried to fight the instinct to shake the water from his thick coat. "You're covered in green stuff and I don't want it anywhere near me." Vitya's head dropped in response to my words, his tail tucked between his legs in apology. I immediately regretted the way I spoke to him. "I'm sorry... thank you," I knelt down in front of him and gingerly patted his head. "Thank you for getting my phone for me," I said and received a slobbery kiss from him. I can't say it was much compared to the kiss he'd given me in my bedroom but I smiled none the less. "Come on, let's rinse you off and then you can take a proper shower when we get home."

Vitya's head lifted at talk of a shower and he barked enthusiastically.

Spraying away the green gunk from Vitya was more fun than it should have been and I probably got more water on myself than was acceptable. Each time I pointed the hosepipe toward Vitya's mouth, he snapped at the water trying to catch it. I laughed until my stomach ached and when Vitya jumped up to lick the water off my face I couldn't help but think how perfect he was. But at the very same moment, the memory of our morning came back to me.

Vitya might be the perfect dog, but Victor could certainly be the perfect man... I sighed.

 _Why did life have to be so fucking complicated?!_

-x-

I sat on the floor in front of my coffee table and stared at my phone. I'd heard so many times that a phone could be fixed by submerging it in uncooked rice. I put the phone in a small box and poured a pack of rice over it. At this point, what did I have to lose? I sighed and leaned back against my sofa, willing the rice to works it's magic.

The caller was someone that I hadn't been expecting to hear from. It had been Alex. I hadn't expected to see his name on caller ID so soon, hence why I let the phone slip through my fingers in my shock. I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. I think what threw me the most, was that my mind was on another man. Another man who was currently naked in my shower. I let out a long breath. _Why did this have to be happening to me?_

"Any luck?"

I turned to see Victor standing in the doorway to my bathroom. He was already dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of pyjama bottoms I'd given him and had a towel around his neck and one around his wet hair.

"Too early to tell," I said before I quickly averted my eyes. Victor looked good no matter what he was doing but he somehow looked even better wearing my clothes.

"I hope it wasn't an important call," Victor climbed over me and flopped down on the sofa.

"It..." I paused. "It was an unknown caller." The look that Victor gave me told me that he didn't believe me. I wasn't entirely sure why I'd lied to him. "How was your shower?" I changed the subject.

"Sometimes I really miss living as a human," Victor said as he rubbed the towel through his hair to dry it.

I wondered how he lived with his previous 'owner'. On the streets, it would have been easier to live as a dog than a man but how had he existed in the house he used to call home? Victor had hinted that they were close, that they had at the very least been friends. Did that mean that he had lived as Victor when they were alone? Is that what Victor wanted now?

"You don't..."I paused, unsure how to broach the subject. "You can stay as you are... if you want..."

Victor stared at me with a blank look for a moment before he smirked. "You want me to stay in my pyjamas?"

"What?!" I jumped to my feet and spun around to face him. "That's... that's not what I meant!"

Victor gave his usual easy laugh and it somewhat calmed me. "Calm down, Yuuri. I was just playing," he smiled at me.

"Oh well..." I laughed nervously and sat down on the sofa beside him. "Ok..."

"I'm sorry," Victor reached out and ruffled my hair. "What were you trying to say?"

"Nothing." I'd lost my nerve. "Are you hungry?" I made to move off the sofa. "We didn't have lunch so I imagine you'll..." Victor's hand closed around my wrist and stopped me from moving.

"You wanted to say something, Yuuri," he looked up at me with such warmth in his eyes.

"I just..." I sat back down on the sofa and turned to face him. I felt myself blush. "How did you live with the man you said was your previous owner?"

"How did I live with him?"

"Did you spend most of your time as Vitya... or did you... were you always Victor?"

Victor touched his chin with his index finger as he thought about my question. "I never really thought about it," he said after a moment. "When there was company, I was always Vitya but whenever we were alone, I shifted so seamlessly between forms that I'm not sure if I spent more time as a wolf or human."

"And... what would you prefer?" Victor looked confused by my question. "I mean... I don't mind if you wanted to stay in human form..." _Did I sound like I was asking him to stay in his human form?_ "It's just you said that you missed living as a human..."

Victor sighed. "I do," he had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Then you're free to live in whatever form you'd like," I said. "Although I think that you should stay as Vitya when people visit. Trying to explain where my dog keeps disappearing off to will get harder and harder eventually." Not to mention having to also explain who he was...

"You're right," Victor smiled.

"But apart from that..." I felt my blush deepen. "I'm fine with Vitya or Victor... I like... I like you as both..." _It sounded like I was confessing to him!_ "What I mean is..." Victor's hand on my cheek made me pause.

"I know what you mean," Victor whispered softly. He pressed his forehead against mine. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," I said and I was grateful that my voice was so steady when I spoke. Having him so close, feeling his hand on my cheek, it was enough to send my temperature rising. "You shouldn't have to be tied to living one way just because I brought you into this flat as my dog. I wasn't looking for a roommate but now that I have one, I think this could be fun."

Victor smiled and I watched him pull away from me for a second before he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "You're right," he said. "I think this will be fun." His eyes shone brightly as I stared up at him and I couldn't think of anything else other than how soft his lips were.

"Victor..." I wanted to feel them again. I wanted to feel his lips on mine.

"Yes, Yuuri?" His voice was low and sultry as he leaned in toward me once again.

I wanted him to kiss me! "Victor... will you..."

 _ **Buzzzz!**_

I paused. _What the..?!_

 _ **Buzzzz!**_

"There's someone at the door," Victor said when I didn't move.

The sound of the intercom was like having a bucket of ice water thrown over me. I jumped up from the sofa, annoyed that someone had to visit at that moment. "Don't move," I said to Victor over my shoulder. He seemed surprised by my demand but he did as instructed and remained on the sofa, his eyes never left me. I wondered if he had been caught up in the moment too.

Apart from Phichit, none of my friends would just come over to the flat without telling me so I hoped it would be someone I could get rid of fairly quick. However, my phone was dead. They could have left me a message or texted and I would never know. I hoped no one had!

I pushed the button on the intercom. "Yes?"

"Hi..." I recognised the voice straight away. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind me just turning up?"

"Er..." _It was Alex!_ I turned to look at Victor. His eyes were still fixed on me.

"I tried calling but you didn't pick," he continued.

"Yeah... I dropped my phone..." I turned away from Victor.

"I'm sorry if it's weird that I came over," he said. Did I mind if he came over? _Not really._ Was it bad timing? _YES!_ "It's just that I have a spare ticket to a comedy gig tonight and I wanted to know if you wanted to come along."

"Er..." I glanced back toward Victor but he was no longer sitting on the sofa. "Sure..." The response was out of my mouth before I had chance to think about it. _What was I doing?!_

"That's great! I'll text you the details..."

"My phone died," I explained. "Could you email it to me?" I quickly gave him my email address and hung up.

 _I'm an idiot!_

I knew what this was and I knew what Alex wanted. He made it very clear last night that he wanted to go on a date, to get to know each other and see if there was something between us. From what I saw last night, he seemed nice and I had been willing to give it a try. However, that was before Vitya turned out to be Victor. Before he kissed me. Before I wanted him to kiss me again... _why was this happening to me?!_

"Er..." I edged back into the living room. "Victor?"

Vitya was laid in his bed with his back toward me. The clothes I had given him were folded neatly on the sofa and the towels he'd used were hung over the radiator in the kitchen to dry. Because he had put everything away so neatly, I could only assume that he wouldn't be shifting into his human form for the rest of the night. _I didn't want that..._

"Victor?" There was no response.

I felt my heart sink.

* * *

 **Why am I doing this to myself?! Someone slap me!**

 **Sorry again for the delay in getting this out. I hope to have a new chapter out soon.**

 **Remember to let me know what you think of this so far. You're all amazing and thank you so much for sticking with this fic xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Here be another chapter! Much quicker than last time, yey me :)**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter and special thanks to those who left comments. I know Yuuri broke many a heart in the last chapter, especially Victor's but don't worry, Victor is not the kind of person who sits back and allows the thing he wants most to run off someone else. As this chapter and the next will prove. Spoilers!**

 **Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I'd love to know your thoughts on this one - especially as the next chapter may contain some... let's say some 'adult entertainment' :P**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

Chapter 07

It had been two weeks since my first date with Alex. Since then we had been to another comedy show, it wasn't really my thing but it was nice to see how much Alex enjoyed it. Apparently, stand up was his passion and he'd spent his time at university trying out material at local festivals but it hadn't really taken off. Alex was an interesting guy. He had more hobbies than I thought was possible to keep up with but his well paid accountant job allowed him to explore whatever his heart desired.

When Alex had suggested that we meet up for breakfast before work one day, I had initially been reluctant. Mornings were usually spent around the lake or lounging around the living room eating a large breakfast Victor had prepared for us. Victor had sensed my hesitation and assured me that he didn't mind. He encouraged me to meet with Alex, even suggested that I wear the black turtle neck jumper I only wore on special occasions. He kept telling me how exciting it was, how happy he was for me.

But for some reason, I still felt guilty.

"Something on your mind?" Alex asked.

"Oh, no," I smiled at him. "I'm just... I'm worried about Vitya."

"Is he ok?" He looked concerned.

"He's fine," I assured him. "I'm worrying over nothing."

"You could bring him with you next time," Alex suggested as he sipped his coffee.

I held back a laugh. "Maybe," I said instead.

"I was thinking of dinner at mine?" Alex looked down at his hands and I noticed the faint blush on his cheeks.

"Yours?" My stomach twisted into knots.

"We don't have to," Alex said quickly. "I like cooking and I was thinking it would be nice to cook for someone else rather than just me." He gave a sheepish shrug. "You could bring Vitya with you... if you wanted to..."

"That's..." I paused. It was kind of him but it really wasn't a good idea. "I'll think about it."

"Do," he leaned forward and held my hand. "I'd really like to get to know the other man in your life."

I laughed nervously. "Yeah…" _He had no idea!_ I snatched my hand away from his and drained the rest of my coffee. "Look at the time, I really should get going."

"Yuuri?" Alex caught my arm just as I was about to flee. "I hope you don't think I'm pushing this. It's just that I like you and I want to spend time with you."

I looked down at him. He really was a nice guy but there was just something missing. "I know," I smiled at him. "Thanks for breakfast. I'll text you."

I wasn't sure what it was about Alex that left me wanting something more. He was kind, thoughtful. He'd made it very clear that all he wanted to do was take care of me. That was what I wanted wasn't it? I'd enjoyed the time we spent together, enjoyed his company but I didn't burn for him. Not like I did with… I shook myself. I really didn't need to be thinking about anyone else.

"Hi Yuuri."

I glanced up to see Sara standing behind the till in the gallery shop. "Hi Sara," I made my way over to her.

"Are you ok?" She asked. Sara and I had become fast friends since I started working at the gallery. She had started just a few months previous and we were by far the youngest staff members. We both had an interest in photography and had studied similar subjects at university. She had recently moved to the city, which had caused a separation from her brother that apparently she was happier with than he was. She had been a source of comfort at work, a good friend.

"Weird morning," I mumbled.

"But you're always in such a good mood first thing in the morning," she looked over at me with concern. "Did something happen at the park?"

Sara knew how much I enjoyed my morning strolls with Vitya, what they meant to me. "I didn't go this morning," I replied. "I met up with Alex…"

Sara's face turned into a frown. "You never seem happy when you're talking about him."

I sighed. "I know," I put my bag down behind the till and sat on a stool next to her. My work day had yet to start and it was still so early in the day that there weren't many patrons in the gallery yet. "I like him, he's a nice guy…"

"I feel a big _but_ coming," Sara winced.

"There's just something missing… he doesn't make me… I don't know…" I sighed again.

"He doesn't make you burn," Sara said with a nod. "You want someone who makes you feel like you're on fire! You want someone who makes you feel alive."

I smirked. "How's your dating life going?"

Sara sighed. "It's simmering at best," she laughed. "Which is why I'm living my love life vicariously through you."

Since Sara moved to the city she had taken full advantage of the dating scene. Her over protective brother had turned away many interested guys during her years at school and university and she felt she had missed out. To make up for it, she was signed up to every dating site and had at least two dates per week but she was still looking for that perfect someone.

"If we're both not settled down by 30, I say we move in together," Sara nudged my shoulder and we laughed.

"As long as you're happy to do your share of dog walking its fine by me," I smirked.

"Of course!" She said with excitement. "You know I love Vitya. He's such a cutie and he's so attentive!" She thought for a moment. "If only Vitya were a guy, I bet he could set your body on fire." Sara laughed hysterically. This was so Sara. "Could you imagine?!"

I laughed nervously. "Yeah... pretty weird..." _Oh god._ "I should get to work..." I picked up my bag.

"Fancy a drink tonight?" Sara called after me as I ran from the shop.

"Sorry! I'm busy tonight," I said over my shoulder as I continued to run.

I wasn't busy at all but Sara hit too close to home with her comment. Of course she was just playing around and had no idea what was really going on in my unbelievable life. It was all too much for me to handle, even in jest.

Once work began, I threw myself into my new project. Going through the archives to find new pieces for an upcoming exhibition was exactly the kind of distraction I needed. I leafed through the catalogues of art work and photography of local artists and lost myself in their passions. The exhibition was in conjunction with a local animal charity and would focus on the importance and positive affects an animal could have in the home or work place. It was a cause close to my heart and I was thrilled to be a part of the research team.

I had been so focused on my work that I hadn't realised lunch had already come and gone. I was an hour late.

I quickly gathered my belongings and, not for the first time, wished that Victor had a phone so I could call and let him know I was running late. From the day I had brought Vitya home, even after I came to know him as Victor, I had never missed a lunch at home. I wondered if he would be upset with me.

I ran up the stairs from the basement, took two steps at a time and ignored the burn in my lungs. I needed to start running again.

"Yuuri!"

I heard Sara's voice as I ran through the lobby. I looked in her direction and she waved.

"Sorry Sara," I called back. "I'm running late!"

"There's someone here to see you!" She called back.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her with a frown. I jogged toward her when she beckoned me closer. "To see me?" I asked. _I never had visitors at work_.

Sara grinned. "If the guy sitting by the window in the cafe is Alex, then all I have to say is; _what is your problem?_ " She pointed toward the cafe and I followed her hand to where he sat at a table, bathed in the winter sun.

 _Victor_.

He was wearing black skinny jeans and my light grey jacket, my favourite green scarf draped around his neck. His hair was tied up, his long ponytail across one shoulder, and the loose strands around his temples fell across his face as he stared down at the book resting on his crossed knees. _Wasn't he something?_

"Is it him?" Sara asked.

"Erm... no." I felt myself blush.

"You like him though," Sara teased.

"What?" I turned to look at her. "No I don't!"

"You're blushing!" She smirked.

"I am not," I covered my cheeks with my hands. "I don't... what makes you think I..."

"The fact that you were staring at him," she said. I tried to deny it but Sara continued over me. "And I can tell by the way you looked at him."

"I'm not looking at him any different than I do anyone else," I said.

"Sure," Sara folded her arms, unconvinced. "So who is he?"

"A friend," I said quietly. I glanced over at him again and Sara scoffed when she caught what I was doing. "I should go see what he wants."

I slowly made my way over to Victor. He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't notice me walking toward him. I didn't mind, it gave me more time to watch him. It was strange seeing him alone outside the house, to see him fit in with everyone around him. He could be a student from the university or an artist who attended classes in the gallery. I couldn't deny it, he looked good.

As I neared the table, Victor looked up and smiled.

"Hello," he said softly.

My breath caught in my throat.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. "I lost track of time and I..."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled and reached down for the back pack on the seat beside him. "I thought you might have been busy so I brought lunch for you."

I stared at the lunch boxes he laid out on the table. "You didn't have to do that," I said as I sat down opposite him. "But thank you, I'm hungry."

"I didn't mind," Victor laughed softly. "I wanted to see where you work anyway."

"I could give you a tour if you're interested?"

"If we have time," Victor looked out the window at the people walking past the gallery.

He seemed so at home here, like this was a normal thing between us. I relaxed almost immediately, just like I always did when he was around me, no matter what form he was in. I thought back to my breakfast with Alex, I hadn't been able to relax around him at all.

"Wow!" I peered into the lunch boxes. Victor had packed enough food for an army!

"I didn't know what you would want," Victor shrugged. "So I put in a selection of your favourites."

"This is perfect," I smiled happily. "Thank you." I began to dig into my food enthusiastically. "Would you like some?"

Victor turned to look at me at my question. "How was your breakfast with Alex?"

His question took me by surprise and I tensed at Alex's name. "Fine," I said. Victor gave me that look that told me he didn't believe me. "He's nice but I just... I don't think he's right for me."

Victor's eyes seemed to darken and he turned his attention to outside the window again. "Will you continue seeing him?"

"I..." I looked down at my food. I hadn't really had chance to think about it but I knew it wasn't fair to Alex. "It wouldn't be right," I said after a moment. "I thought my feelings would change as I got to know him but I just don't think we're right for each other.

When I looked up, Victor was watching me with a thoughtful expression.

"Then I hope you will consider me," Victor eventually said.

"Consider you?" I was confused.

"If things don't work out with Alex, if you have decided that he is not right for you then I hope you will consider that I might be right for you."

His words echoed around in my mind.

"I like you Yuuri," he said softly. "I tried not to... I didn't want this to become complicated."

 _What was happening?!_

Victor looked down at his folded hands on the table. "I revealed myself to you that night because I knew what was happening. I knew you were going to meet someone and I just couldn't stand it."

"But you..." He'd been so supportive.

"You seemed happy," Victor looked up at me sheepishly, as if he knew my thoughts. "I didn't want to get in the way of that. You deserve to be happy."

I looked down at my food. I was at a complete loss of how to respond to this. _Victor liked me?!_

"But if Alex is not the one who will make you happy... then I hope you will give me a chance to try." He looked at me with such warmth in his eyes. Eyes that I had come to love so very much... _love_...

When he kissed me, he said it was because he hadn't had a lover for a long time. Had he lied? Had he said it because I had been worried about my behaviour? Had Victor been looking out for me even then?

"You don't need to respond now," he stood up and took a step toward me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Victor..." I didn't really know what I wanted to say to him. I could only think about how soft his lips were, how his warm breath against my skin drove me crazy.

"Enjoy the rest of your day, Yuuri," he squeezed my shoulder gently and then left.

I sat at the table and stared at the food in front of me. _Could I really think of Victor like that?_ The answer was yes, a big _yes_. I had been at battle with my complicated feelings for him since he kissed me. Or perhaps it had been the very first time I met him as Victor, when he had been sitting in my kitchen wearing nothing but his red dog collar. I couldn't help it, I smiled at the memory.

Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I looked up to see Sara waving at me. Of course she wanted to know what happened, she was just like Phichit in that respect, but I wasn't ready to talk about it. I wasn't ready to share these feelings. I shook my head and returned to my lunch. I made a mental note to text Sara later.

I found that the rest of my day passed at a snail's pace. The work that had thrilled me only hours before was now no longer interesting enough to hold my attention. Instead, I sat in the archives, surrounded by texts and samples, and doodled on my notepad.

Victor was asking for a chance to make me happy, but as what? Clearly he wasn't talking about friends but did he want to be my lover... my boyfriend? I couldn't even imagine what it would be like making love to a man in the evening and walking him through the park on a leash the morning after. How would I feel having him lay in his dog bed as Vitya while Phichit stayed over for one of our drunken movie nights? Would we even be able to go out with my friends as a couple?

"It's past six, you should go home Yuuri."

I looked up to see my boss, Celestino, smiling from the doorway. He had become somewhat of a mentor to me since I started working for him and he was always trying to find projects to suit my interests. He even allowed me to indulge in my passion for photography.

"You've worked hard today," Celestino remarked.

"Thanks..." _I hadn't_.

"Pack up and go home," he said again.

"I will," I smiled at him. "Have a good evening, Celestino."

"You too, Yuuri," he waved over his shoulder as he left.

I began to pack away the materials I had been using for my research and reached for my notepad. I glanced down at the pages I had made notes in and froze when I spotted the doodle. Victor's face looked up at me, his familiar eyes staring right at me from under my biro scribbles. I groaned and slammed my book shut. _I was in big trouble._

* * *

 **In trouble you will be Yuuri but it's the best kind of trouble! Now if only he could get his head in the game and go after Victor too... oh but wait, this is Yuuri we're talking about! Haha.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to let me know what you're thinking. I have the next chapter pretty much done so hope to have the next one out very soon.**

 **Love to you all!**


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